Forbes CommunityVoice™ allows professional fee-based membership groups ("communities") to connect directly with the Forbes audience by enabling them to create content – and participate in the conversation – on the Forbes digital publishing platform. Each topic-based CommunityVoice™ is produced and managed by the group.

Opinions expressed within Forbes CommunityVoice™ are those of the participating individuals.

Why Some Game Changers Are At High Risk For Becoming Lone Wolves

Cindy Wahler is a leadership consultant specializing in executive coaching and talent management. Reach her at cwahler@cindywahler.com

Shutterstock

So, you have been hired to be a game changer. As a matter of fact, your primary mandate has been to disrupt the organization. You arrive with fervor and excitement and, in short order, see where great opportunities reside.

You have mapped out a plan. You truly believe that you can drive your organization to be the client and consumer of choice. You are ready to rock the world. You envision yourself as a rock star -- maybe even a serial rock star.

What’s wrong with this picture? Who doesn’t want a passionate high energy, no-holds-barred contributor?

Well, the next thing you know, you are suddenly called into a room. Executives declare that you are too noisy, you have pointy elbows, you need to understand the culture, and you are not bringing people along.

You stand back, are a bit confused. This feedback seems to be in direct contradiction to the explicit direction and mandate you were given, which was to disrupt the status quo and be a game changer. You were brought in to create substantive change, grow market share and blow all potential competitors out of the water. In fact, it is the very reason you accepted the role.

So, what happened? Change agents who are part of new technologies operate within platforms that are fluid and agile. There is generally an absence of a well-defined infrastructure or formally established processes and procedures.

This is very different from more traditional environments where there is a legacy of talent: talent that helped build the organization. Even if ways of thinking are no longer profitable, they were at one time. And it is human nature to hang on to the past. We have nostalgia for the “good old days.” A percentage of this talent were game changers once upon a time. It’s difficult to give up history; it becomes part of our folklore.

If you are a game changer, you need to have a heart-to-heart with yourself. Decide where your skills best reside. Is it at a hot up-and-coming cryptocurrency or blockchain-based firm, or is it a tried-and-true institution with a long history of success and shareholder value? This will determine your appetite and interest for the type of culture you want to be part of.

Tried-and-true organizations have a long history of risk and compliance. They are still around due to iron clad methodologies that work to protect shareholders. If you are excited by the challenge of selling your ideas to internal stakeholders of long-standing companies, you must acknowledge that, for a large part of your journey, you will be swimming upstream.

Some leaders enjoy this challenge. They recognize that long-standing firms that do not embrace change will not stand the test of time; they are at risk for extinction.

If you do choose the assignment to change the world within the context of a large bureaucracy, you must think about your approach. This will enhance your ability to be successful.

Take these things into consideration:

• Everyone may not share your vision. Forward thinkers are a minority of the population at the best of times. You need to explain to each stakeholder why your vision is exciting, as well as the role each and every employee can play to help shape and execute on that vision.

• You must display extensive patience. It takes many conversations over a lengthy period of time to demonstrate the merits of your position. Accepting that you must go slow will help to mitigate coming across as mandating but will rather exhibit an inclusive approach.

• Have a healthy respect for legacy. Do not throw the baby out with the bath water. Long-standing employees have tremendous currency, as they have credibility, respect and a highly prized network. Make sure to foster these relationships and take into an account their valued input. You must recognize they are part of the solution.

• Innovation isn’t about being nice -- nor is it about being intransigent. Be mindful that driving change means you are not seeking consensus but rather collaboration. This means it is most unlikely that you will have 100% of your team on board. Knowing how to show respect for some of the dissenters is imperative so you do not come across as stubborn, inflexible or narrow-minded.

If you want rapid change and a nimble, agile environment with quick execution, you should seek out early startups. Keep in mind, though, that most highly successful companies with strong growth trajectories do, in the end, expand -- and will at some level get bogged down by sheer magnitude. All this means is that, as a game changer, you may need to be prepared to offer your expertise to different startups over the course of your career.

Alternatively, if you enjoy the stability of a large organization and are brought in to change the business paradigm, you need to understand how to go about changing a long-standing culture. This will require a balance between mobilizing others to take risks and accepting pushback with stamina to stay the course. Skilled leaders have mastered the art of disruption within a collaborative paradigm.